BLOODSHOT . . . piper mclean

60.

WATER COVERING EDEN'S HEAD.

Letting out her breath, and it felt like normal breathing.

Man, when could she take a break from water?

Eden instantly was thinking Piper, and put an air bubble around her head. Hopefully she'd be okay.

Eden had tried controlling the water, but the currents grabbed her like a fist and pulled her farther into the deep. Struggling was useless. She could only hear her own thrashing and the dull roar of the rapids. She couldn't see anything but water.

Then, as suddenly as she'd been pulled under, she was thrust to the surface, close to the edge.

Piper was at the center of a whirlpool. Perfect Jason was on the opposite side of Eden, and he was swinging wildly with his sword.

Twenty feet to Piper's right, Achelous rose from the water. "I'm really sorry about this," he said.

Perfect Jason lunged toward him, summoning the winds to lift him out of the river, but Achelous was quicker and more powerful. A curl of water slammed into Perfect Jason and sent him under once more. Eden funneled her power into him, letting him breathe underwater with the stupid air bubbles.

"Stop it!" Kaleidoscope screamed.

"I'm afraid I can't stop," said the river god. "I can't let Hercules have my other horn. It would be mortifying."

"There's another way!" Piper said. "You don't have to kill us!"

Perfect Jason clawed his way to the surface again. A miniature storm cloud formed over his head. Thunder boomed.

"None of that, son of Jupiter," Achelous chided. "If you call lightning, you'll just electrocute your friends."

The water pulled Jason under again.

"Let him go!" Piper charmspoke. "I promise I won't let Hercules get the horn!"

Achelous hesitated. He cantered over to her, his head tilting to the left. "I believe you mean that."

"I do!" Piper promised. "Hercules is despicable. But, please, first let my friend go."

Achelous looked down at her. His expression softened. "I see. You would be my Deianira. You would be my bride to compensate for my loss."

"What?" Piper frowned. "Uh, actually I was thinking—"

"Oh, I understand," Achelous said. "You were too modest to suggest this in front of your friends. You are right, of course. I would treat you much better than a son of Zeus would, or a daughter of Poseidon. I could make things right after all these centuries. I could not save Deianira, but I could save you."

Oh, hell no. Eden's vision went red.

"You would have to let your friends die," Achelous continued. "Hercules would be angry, but I can protect you from him. We could be quite happy together. Let's start by letting that Jason fellow drown, eh? Then we can kill your daughter of Poseidon."

Piper locked eyes with Eden. Just follow along, the love child mouthed. Ignore it.

Eden hated the idea, more than anything. But she trusted her girlfriend to get them out of this situation, more than anyone else.

Kaleidoscope smiled as sweetly as she could and raised her arms. "Lift me up, please."

Achelous's face brightened. He grabbed Piper's hands and pulled her out of the whirlpool.

She used her momentum, swinging one leg over Achelous's back. Then she locked her ankles around his neck, wrapped one arm around his throat, and drew her knife with the other. She pressed the blade under the river god's chin.